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Report: Iranian FM to visit Beirut this week

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will arrive in Beirut this week on a previously unannounced visit, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported.

The development comes after Abdollahian’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and his meetings there with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

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Report: Mikati preparing decree for extending army chief's term

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is preparing a decree for extending by three years the term of Army chief General Joseph Aoun, a media report said.

Mikati will coordinate with Speaker Nabih Berri in this regard, ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

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Hochstein arrives in Beirut Wednesday, may visit South

U.S. Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein will arrive in Beirut on Wednesday, al-Liwaa newspaper said.

He will meet with Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.

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Bassil says would vote for Franjieh in return for decentralization, trust fund

An ongoing dialogue between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement is progressing positively, the FPM chief said.

Jebran Bassil revealed, in an interview published Tuesday in al-Modon news portal, that Hezbollah's feedback on a reform paper proposed by the FPM was "positive", which paved the way for completing the discussions.

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Report: LF tells Le Drian 'defiance candidate' unacceptable

Lebanese Forces sources have stressed that “the presidential vote should take place in parliament and in the ballot box, not through dialogue tables that establish new norms that violate the constitution.”

In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, the sources also revealed that the the LF “has informed the French presidential envoy that asking the Lebanese to choose between vacuum and the election of the (Axis of) Defiance candidate shall not pass.”

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Macron takes swipe at Iran's role in Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed that one of the keys to reaching a political solution in Lebanon would be “the need to clarify Iran's interference in the region.”

The remarks come days ahead of the arrival in Lebanon of French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is trying to find a way out of the presidential impasse that Lebanon is going through.

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Israel calls for UNIFIL freedom of movement, reports 'flagrant Hezbollah violations'

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the potential for escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border is growing because of "ongoing provocations" and "flagrant violations" by Hezbollah.

"Iran is pushing Hezbollah to act," Gallant said in a meeting with Guterres in New York on Monday night.

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Nasrallah says ready for dialogue, accuses rivals anew of seeking civil war

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday said that his party is ready for dialogue with others over the presidential file, as he slammed political rivals for rejecting French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s latest call for dialogue.

“Had the envoy been American, would you have rejected his letter?” Nasrallah said in a speech marking the sixth anniversary of the ouster of jihadist groups from the eastern border region.

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Lebanon issues arrest warrants for 2 Russians suspected of spying for Israel

Two Russian citizens who were recently detained in Beirut on suspicion of spying for Israel have been referred to an investigative military judge who issued arrest warrants for them, two judicial officials said Monday.

The two Russians were detained "several weeks ago" in Beirut as they were leaving the country through the capital's Rafik Hariri International Airport, the officials said. The two judicial officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

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Opposition 'dismayed' by Jumblat remarks on dialogue with Hezbollah

Christian Opposition MPs are reportedly dismayed by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat's remarks about sitting with Hezbollah for electing a president.

French special presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian is set to arrive in Lebanon in September to resume a French initiative to push for a solution to the presidential impasse.

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